


Promise

by PartTwo



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, Other, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24400123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartTwo/pseuds/PartTwo
Summary: “Well then, we’ll find it,” He said, somewhat surprising himself as he did, “We’ll hunt it down. Once this is all over, once we kill Jack and everything, we can take a break from the whole vault hunting thing, try to track down your home planet, find your parents, that stuff. I’ll help you. We can do it together.”“You don’t mean that,” Zer0 said with a little smile. Their eyes were fixed on a distant star. Axton, ever the dreamer, liked to believe that system, whichever it was, was the one their family resided on.“I do,” He insisted. He’d given up on saving face, at this fucking point. He had no filter. He’d just hope they’d both forget in the morning, Zer0 certainly wasn’t themselves tonight. “I promise.”
Relationships: Axton/Zer0 (Borderlands)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WOOooooooooooooooooo I literally could not stop writing this. I didn't eat or get water while writing this. God Save My Soul. 
> 
> Anyways, yeah, this could be a multi-chapter thing but I'm unsure if there's interest? For now, this works as a complete thing, so just to get it out of my system, I'll leave it here. If people want more (and trust me, I Have More), I'll be happy to deliver!

_ The rhythm of war thrummed like a heartbeat.  _

_ It was a clusterfuck. Axton couldn’t be too certain where he was or what was happening. He was running blindly, dodging the ditches in the road as fast as he could. There were too many everywhere, too many. Which army were they fighting? Fuck, he couldn’t tell. Fire, fire fucking everywhere, some sour smell in the air that he knew in the back of his head as acid. Droplets hit his arms, burning his skin just a bit, bringing him back to wherever the fuck he was at.  _

_ An SMG flew from somewhere towards someone he dully identified as Kelly. Axton watched in horror as it hit the ground and unceremoniously blew up.  _

_ Suddenly he was back at camp. Bullets flew and things blew up outside, the rhythm of war louder and louder in his ears. They rang. The rhythm was everywhere. It was in the shitty food he was eating, in the dirty water he was drinking, in the ground, in the air, in him. His heart beat with it.  _

_ Sergio started coughing harder and harder.  _

_ Axton was so fucking young, he knew that logically, but he felt so aged. He ran his hands through his hair, it already had a few greys. He had a home, he had a good home too, and he left it for this. For the glory of war.  _

_ He felt the nausea well up in his body. His ears were still ringing. They never stopped ringing, not after the bomb went off next to him.  _

_ Kelly was dead. God, Kelly was dead. Fuck, he knew it was Val who killed him, it had to have happened, he was gonna “get sent home”, and god only knew what kind of experiment he was gonna become. Val did it as a mercy, he watched. Kelly was so happy, too, so happy to fucking die.  _

_ Sergio was next. His lungs were torn up by the fiberglass in something that blew up. Axtons's nausea got suddenly worse. There wasn’t enough filtration masks for everyone, but Sergio, sweet, funny, lighthearted Sergio gave Axton his ‘cause Axton was only nineteen. “What a baby, take mine. My lungs’re fucked by smoking anyways. Just promise me you won’t smoke. It ruins you.”  _

_ Sergio smiled at him as Axton stared down the barrel of his gun. Val would’ve done it but Sergio asked Axton. He was gonna throw up. He knew it. He was gonna fucking throw up. “Do this old man the favor. Put me out of my misery, Axton.”  _

_ “I- I can’t-”  _

_ “It’ll be you or the doctors in an hour. I want it to be you.” Sergio’s smile was unfaltering.  _

_ Axton pulled the trigger.  _

_ “Aha. Atta boy,” He said, gurgling through blood. He was so used to pain, the pain in his chest was constant by that point. “Now go on and be a hero.”  _

_ Sergio let out a last few coughs and died on the floor, right there.  _

_ Axton fell to his knees, dry heaved for ages and the rhythm of war was deafening. He couldn’t hear himself think. He could still think, fuck he could still think. They tried to condition it out of him, but he could still fucking think.  _

_  
_ _ He was suddenly staring down an organized wall of soldiers, bots, marching from the fiery depths of hell, and it was just Axton and an empty gun against them. The sirens blared and the bullets soared around him. He felt his lungs burning from the cocktail of slag, acid, and kerosene.  _

_ He coughed and coughed and coughed harder still, he was gonna end up like Kelly and Sergio. It was his fault for not being broken in with training, it was his fault for still being able to think- _

Axton shot awake, gasping for breath. He quickly patted himself down, searching for his weapons, to find himself completely disarmed. He planted his hands on the bed -  _ bed? Not bedroll? -  _ and damn near flung himself to his feet. He looked left and right, trying to figure out where in the barracks he was, but there was no barracks. It was just him, alone in a room that was certainly familiar, but in the moment, he couldn’t really identify it. 

His legs, of their own accord, carried him into the bathroom, beginning to remember where he was. He flicked the light on and splashed aggressively room temperature water on his face. The water on Dahl Ships was always cold. Even the hot water was cold. He took a deep breath and tried to come back down to Pandora.

_ I'm on Pandora. My name is Axton. I'm nearly twenty-seven, I was a soldier and I'm now a vault hunter. I like spice cake and affogatos. I'm allergic to cats and they always hate me for no good fucking reason. I miss my late mother. _

Listing the facts helped, sometimes, bring him back to wherever he was. One of many things he picked up over the years. Sometimes he listed the details of the room he was in for literal hours until he felt calm enough to leave it. 

He looked up from the metal sink and into the small mirror, picking apart his face. His nose was kinda crooked, his face a little wrinkled, he wasn’t even fucking thirty and he had  _ greys.  _ To be fair, he wasn’t even fucking thirty and he had an ex-wife and a handsome bounty on his head, so maybe he’d seen a little more life than most mid-twenty-somethings. He shook his head.  _ Nonproductive. Go outside and get some air. _

He left the bathroom, flicking off the light behind him. Axton grabbed the blanket off the bed to wrap around his shoulders as he padded outside the front door to stare at the surprisingly silent city. In moments like these he kind of regretted giving Gaige and Maya the nice quilts, but they seemed so happy to have gotten them…  _ Whatever. You can make do.  _

He leaned back against the doorframe and shivered a little in the brisk air. The rhythm of war was inescapable, here and everywhere else. It was exceptionally strong in Sanctuary, in the way people whispered or shouted, in the way the few children that were there hid constantly, in the way that everyone was thankful they had running water. 

The sudden need to move was startling but not unfamiliar, as Axton’s legs suddenly carried him towards his things. Yeah, yeah, he was gonna rearm himself, get out of Sanctuary for a few days, sleep in his outrunner in a cave somewhere, find something to do while he was out, and come back with a bit of money in his pocket. Maybe Ellie had something she needed to be done for her, wouldn’t tell the others where he was, and would let him sleep in that tower of junk she had laying around. 

The quiet hours on Pandora were few and small. If he wanted to get out of Sanctuary and to wherever he was going without being tracked, hunted, followed, killed or otherwise bothered in any way, he was going to have to leave right that instant, but old neurosis die hard. He stopped, pulled the blanket off his shoulders, and took the minute-and-thirty-seconds to make his bed - and he  _ knew  _ it was a minute-and-thirty. It was never  _ not  _ a minute and thirty. It was an insignificant amount of time almost anywhere else, but on Pandora, or at least in Sanctuary, it was  _ ages.  _

Axton left the neatly made bed and began to walk as quietly as he could out of the building, through the streets, and to the exit of Sanctuary. He hung close to the walls as he walked, and as he tightly hooked around another turn, mere meters away from the exit, he ran face-to-chest into Zer0. 

He stumbled back, as they first displayed an exclamation point, followed rapidly by a question mark before their visor went dark. 

To be frank, Axton was fucking  _ relieved  _ it was Zer0. There was an easy camaraderie between the two of them, Axton supposed it was because they were the two that nobody asked questions about. An unspoken understanding was passed around that you didn’t ask Zer0 what their name was, you didn’t ask what was under the suit, you didn’t ask Axton why he kept waking up in the middle of the night, and you didn’t ask about the ring that hung next to his dog-tags. 

“You look very pale. Did something happen, Axton? Is everything fine?” 

_ Another haiku. Damn it all, they’re good at that.  _ “I’m alive, aren’t I?” He said. He cringed involuntarily as the words left his mouth, he sounded so hoarse. It was suddenly apparent how fucking cottony and dry his mouth was. 

They cocked their head just slightly to the side. “Don’t move, wait right here,” They said, as they walked into Scooter’s open garage. 

Axton peeked his head in after them, watching as they climbed the stairs and poked around for a moment. They really were a pretty creature. They moved with a measure of elegance and grace that didn’t come naturally to quite literally anything else alive - at least, not anything he’d ever seen. Just as they were beginning to turn around, Axton ducked back outside, leaning against the wall and trying his best to look casual and unassuming.

Zer0 came back out holding a small metal cup of water, and though they stood a slight distance away from him, they all but shoved the water in his hands. Axton accepted and gulped it down gratefully. 

“Where were you planning to go?” 

_ Do they count while they talk? No, they gotta have some stuff preplanned.  _ “Admittedly, I don’t know. Just needed to get out for a few days.”

They nodded understandingly. “I know a good place.” 

Axton took a double-take. “Huh? Come again?” 

“I know a good place,” They repeated, “I can take you if you want… And bring some supplies.” 

“I- you- yeah. You make a good point. I don’t have any supplies do I?” 

Zer0 laughed an inhuman laugh. “Not even blankets.” 

* * *

For the most part, and this was being truly generous, Zer0’s driving was atrocious. It was reminiscent of a bull trying to knock someone off. It was hard to tell if they were trying to kill other people or their passengers, but this time, they were pretty measured. No hard starts or stops. Hell, Axton  _ fell asleep  _ on the ride up to wherever they were taking him, something fundamentally unheard of. 

He woke only because Zer0, backpack hanging lazily off one shoulder, prodded at his sleeping form with their foot, standing on the edge of the gunner seat. He woke up and stretched his back, sneering involuntarily at the ache that came from sleeping hunched over. He turned his head, not entirely sure where they were, to be greeted with the sight of Highlands - or, at least what Axton could assume was the Highlands, some part of it that hadn’t yet been settled. It was beautiful, in a distinctly Pandoran way, wild and untamable. 

As Axton took in the sight, Zer0 jumped off the car onto the cliffside it was parked on, up towards a cave. “How’d you find this place?” He finally asked, as he dragged his aching body out of the car and alongside Zer0. 

They shrugged. It couldn’t have been all that far from Sanctuary, the inky night still stretched on. Zer0 was silent as they wandered into the cave, casually and quite at home, and began slowly setting up the crap they’d managed to shove away into their backpack. Two bedrolls - god only knew how they managed to find them - two neatly folded blankets, and a small firestarter. Against the cave wall, a bunch of burnable nonsense, some wood, some assorted other crap.  _ So they’re here often.  _ “Is this your little hideout?”

They nodded.

They began slowly pitching a fire in a little pit lined with rocks of random shapes and sizes. Axton could barely see his hand in front of his face, the cave was so dark, so he took to just sitting and staring at the blanket of stars, Elpis and Helios. 

“Do you like it here?” They finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Pandora?” Axton said, eyes still trained on the night sky, “Honestly, yeah, kinda. You’d think the way they described it, it was some sorta hellish cesspit of crazies and monst- Eh… Okay now that I’m saying it aloud, I think those people were right. I like it, though. Feels like home, at least for now.” 

Zer0 hummed in what sounded like agreement, before coming up behind him and tapping his shoulder. Axton turned to be greeted with a fire, and next to it, only one bedroll and blanket set up. The other pair laid folded and ready to be put away next to it. “I can leave if you’d prefer.” 

He couldn’t stop looking at them. One part of him screamed in relief. He tamped down his habits with a  _ passion  _ in front of Zer0. Alone he could be left with his lists and his pacing and his picking at the skin on his fingers. The other part of him laughed at the idea.  _ Me? Tell you I’d prefer you leave?  _ He cut off the thought before it could go further. 

“I obviously wouldn’t prefer.”  _ What is wrong with you, Axton. _

They projected a smiley face and offered him a hand to help him stand up. Axton just stared at it for a second. They knew he didn’t need help getting up. He wasn’t really sure what the significance of this was supposed to be. 

He took their hand anyways. 

They walked over to their backpack, and out of it pulled a bottle of mystery liquor, unopened, and two glasses. “I thought this might help.” 

Axton laughed a little. “You encourage bad habits in me. How’re you gonna drink with that mask on, huh? Can’t wait ‘till I get distracted now, can you?” 

Silently, they set down the bottle and the glasses, before reaching into their backpack and pulling out a straw, displaying a winky face as they proudly showed it to Axton. 

The smile that’d found its way on Axton’s face grew even wider. “Semper paratus, eh?” 

Zer0 laughed their funny, inhuman little laugh as they sat down, patting the spot next to them by the fire and pouring the clearish-brown liquid into the two cups, passing one to Axton. It smelled like gasoline and anger, and Axton’s nose wrinkled at it. Zer0 held up their glass,  _ a toast,  _ Axton realized. 

“To our new hideout, to the death of Handsome Jack, and our decent health,” They said. 

“Cheers,” Axton said, tapping his glass to Zer0’s. He tried not to get tripped up on the casual  _ our.  _ He took a sip of the mystery moonshine and found it was just as terrible tasting as it smelled. 

* * *

They were sloshed. Both of them, absolutely piss-fucking-drunk. Axton got through two, maybe three glasses of the stuff before he was blushy and laughing, Zer0 didn’t fare much longer than he did. Zer0 had an arm slung over Axton’s shoulder for probably the last hour, giggling like a schoolgirl. 

“God I thought you  _ hated  _ getting touched, Zee,” There were  _ nicknames  _ now, “But look at you! You’re all  _ cuddly. _ ” 

“I  _ don’t  _ like getting touched!” They said jubilantly, haiku long since abandoned, “Not one bit. But hey, when it’s you, it’s not half bad at all! Hell, I even kinda like it.” 

Axton poked Zer0’s side a couple of times, causing them to squirm and spill their drink. “Bet’cha don’t like it if I touch you like  _ that! _ ” 

Zer0 returned the favor, and Axton tried to squirm away from their surprisingly strong grip. “You don’t either, asshole,” They said. 

“You know,” Axton said, “Poking you just then reminded me. You’re not a robot, huh? Maya owes me money, now. She said you were a robot but I just knew it wasn’t true.” 

Zer0 snorted and shoved the straw back under a little gap they made between their visor and the rest of the helmet, taking a long sip. “Well you were right, I’m not a robot.” 

“Yeah!” Axton said, “Bet you’re a… You’re a fucked up looking person- _ Eh.  _ No, no, don’t tell me… You’re like one of those little green men. On stilts. No! No! There’s two of you in one suit!” 

Zer0 started to laugh, emoticon coming up to join along.

“Okay fine, uhhh… I bet you got no eyes.”

They laughed harder, taking their arm from around Axton and setting down their glass to hug their sides. 

“I bet there’s no face at all!” He finally said, beginning to giggle himself, “I bet your face  _ is  _ that visor and you just unhinge and it’s just  _ teeth  _ going all the way back, no tongue!” 

Zer0 fell over, finally, knocking over their glass as they slammed a fist on the ground. “Mercy, Axton, mercy! No more!” 

“Well I wouldn’t have to guess if you showed me…” He muttered with a smile before freezing. He had violated one of the many unspoken rules between them, and Zer0 froze too. 

They pushed themselves upright with one of their hands and looked at Axton for a moment. For a long interval, Axton was pretty sure he was gonna die where he sat, and frankly, he kinda understood. 

“Well why the fuck didn’t you ask earlier?” They said, as they shoved the plate of their visor back on properly and tightly. 

The two actions didn’t correlate. “I’m so sorry, I’m way too fuckin’ drunk, I gotta just go to bed or-” 

“Wait, wait,” Zer0 said kind of dismissively, as they pressed a button beneath the rim of the helmet. It, surprisingly enough,  _ depressurized  _ with a subtle hiss before the helmet expanded  _ just so  _ and Zer0 turned around and lifted it off. “See? Don’t wanna break this thing, yet.” 

Their voice, their real, unfiltered voice sent a peculiar feeling through him. Dully, he knew what that feeling was, but his sluggish mind and a general lack of desire to pursue the train of thought kept him from putting a name to it. 

They turned back around slowly and faced him, staring at him with eight eyes. 

Eight eyes. Eight eyes in varying shades of phosphorescent blue and lavender. Axton blinked a few times to see if maybe it was his vision going, but no, no, Zer0 glowed. Literally. Their skin was a dark,  _ dark  _ blue, almost black, like the night skky, their… Cheeks, he guessed, were flushed with that same lumient purple-blue, dotted with white freckle-like things. 

“Wow,” He said raptly. A hand came up almost involuntarily to touch their face, which they didn’t bat away as it ran down these similarly-colorful-but-not-quite-glowing lines that went from their eyes, down their cheeks, to disappear beneath the neckline of their jumpsuit. Their skin was smooth in a way that human skin just wasn’t, but it wasn’t… Soft. Beneath it was a strange muscle structure that Axton could only barely feel with the lightest touch of his fingertips. Each of those freckle things were a protruding bump on their face, just the slightest bit sharp. “You’re beautiful,” He said, before he could catch himself.  _ Did you never develop the good sense to stop talking? _

In one part embarrassment, one part realization of the  _ second  _ faux-pas he’d committed for the night without Zer0 running him through for it, he retracted his hand in a single jerky movement and promptly shut the fuck up. 

Zer0’s face pulled in a strange way, their… Well, what Axton could only assume was a mouth, pulled into a mimic of a smile. It was so strange.  _ They  _ were so strange. It was uncomfortable how much Axton liked it. 

“Likewise,” Zer0 said. They ungloved one of their hands, revealing the same ink-dark skin, and brought it up to Axton’s face in a similar fashion, dragging a finger down. “I’ve never touched a human before,” They admitted, “At least not without my gloves.” 

“I’ve never touched an alien.” 

“Skags are aliens to you, and you’ve certainly touched those.” 

“You have a point. I haven’t touched a... Whatever you are before.” 

Zer0 hummed, still drawing an invisible pattern across Axton’s face that began to go further and further down until it reached his collarbone, where something seemed to remind them that this was a weird thing that was happening. Zer0 mumbled something that Axton couldn’t understand before they stood up, offering him a hand and half-lead, half-dragged him to the very mouth of the cave. “I want to stargaze,” They said, as they plonked themselves on the ground again and yanked Axton down with them. 

“So…” Axton asked, when the curiosity finally won over propriety, “What  _ are  _ you?” 

“I don’t know,” They said. “An alien, I guess.” 

“You don’t remember? From a lab?” 

Zer0 shook their head. “No, no. I remember being a child. I remember a misty planet. I remember the scent of my parents and my siblings…” They said, their voice somewhat mourning, “And then I don’t remember anymore. Blocked out. Gone. I was a child and then I was an assassin. Nothing else remains, and I think it’s better that way.” 

“Oh,” Axton said, “That’s… Sad.” 

“A little,” Zer0 said, “A little bit sad, but sad things happen to everyone. What must’ve happened to  _ you  _ was probably sad.” 

“I guess, yeah, but I don’t think I’d change it.” Axton admitted. 

“Really? Why’s that?” 

“It brought me here, didn’t it? I’m on the adventure of a fuckin’ lifetime… Plus, I met you. I wouldn’t trade  _ that  _ for anything,” Axton said, before suddenly remembering that you generally  _ don’t  _ talk to your regular-ol’ buddies like that. “Sorry. That was weird.” 

Zer0 shouldered him affectionately. “The feeling’s mutual.”

There was a long, only minorly uncomfortable silence. Zer0 was squirming next to Axton, physically actually squirming, before they seemed to give into their own curiosity. “Do you miss your parents?” Zer0 asked, “You know them, do you miss them?” 

Axton chuckled a little, slightly thankful they asked anything at all. “Yeah. A lot.” 

“Do you ever call?” 

“Do you have a phone that can make calls to the afterlife?” 

“Oh.” 

A long beat rested between the two of them. “Do you miss your parents?” 

“I suppose,” Zer0 said, “Or at least the idea of them. I always wanted to see my home.” 

Their voice was so… Small, as they said that. It made Axton ache. 

“Well then, we’ll find it,” He said, somewhat surprising himself as he did, “We’ll hunt it down. Once this is all over, once we kill Jack and everything, we can take a break from the whole vault hunting thing, try to track down your home planet, find your parents, that stuff. I’ll help you. We can do it together.”

“You don’t mean that,” Zer0 said with a little smile. Their eyes were fixed on a distant star. Axton, ever the dreamer, liked to believe that system, whichever it was, was the one their family resided on. 

“I do,” He insisted. He’d given up on saving face, at this fucking point. He had no filter. He’d just hope they’d both forget in the morning, Zer0 certainly wasn’t themselves tonight. “I promise.” 

“You promise, huh?” They said, with a little edge of sarcasm. “Well alright then. After we kill Handsome Jack, we’ll do it. We’ll go find my home planet. Take a little vacation from the…” They gestured broadly around them, then to Helios, “This.” 

After a long time of staring blankly into the night, Zer0 slumped over and leaned their weight on Axton. He realized they were asleep, a milky film covering their eyes, closing them sort of. A feeling coiled around in his stomach like a serpent chasing its tail, and Axton didn’t know what to do with it other than wrap his arm around Zer0 with a featherlight touch, and hoped they felt the small support he was trying to give them. 

He stared, transfixed, at them for a while, memorizing the details of their face like he memorized the details of a room. 

He slowly stood up, picked up their sleeping form and carried them to the bedroll that was set up. They never bothered with the other one. They were unexpectedly easy to carry, but Axton was still stumbling. He set them down as gently as possible, before sitting down, back to the wall of the cave, and crossing his arms to sleep upright. He’d done this enough times, and he was sure he was dreaming anyway.  _ Tonight won’t matter after tomorrow,  _ Axton thought with a measure of certainty. 

He spared a bored glance towards the horizon one last time, noting that the sun had just barely begun to rise. He smiled. It was a shame he was gonna forget all of this. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thanks to the ever lovely Jordan aka EmotionalSupportPuma here on ao3! Check out their [tumblr](https://tannithvibes.tumblr.com/), their [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmotionalSupportPuma), and their VERY COOL [pokemon ask blog](https://ask-neontiger.tumblr.com/). No I’m not kidding. Check it out. It’s really fucking good. 

Zer0 awoke, head pounding, world subtly spinning around them, crudely tucked into a bedroll. They took in a deep breath of fresh air…

Then froze. 

_ Deep breath of fresh air.  _

Their hands came up to their face - one ungloved one slapping softly against their skin, a feeling that had since become incredibly unfamiliar to them. Last night came back to them in bits and pieces - the soft touches, the smiles…

_ Axton looked at the sky with a determined expression, then turned to Zer0, serious as a heart attack. “Well then, we’ll find it,” He said with finality in his voice, “We’ll hunt it down. Once this is all over, once we kill Jack and everything, we can take a break from the whole vault hunting thing, try to track down your home planet, find your parents, that stuff. I’ll help you. We can do it together.” They watched him out of the corner of their eye, trying to count the stars they could see in a little patch of night - uncountably infinite. Impossible to pin down.  _

_ “You don’t mean that,” They said softly. They would not send him on such a Sisyphean task, with or without them tagging along. They knew Axton, a determined sonofabitch, and he’d die before he disappointed Zer0 that way.  _

_ “I do. I promise.”  _

_ “Promise, huh?” They said. Some part of them was flattered, in his drunken state all he wanted to do was help them, but irregardless they knew he was far too drunk to remember the conversation. They humored him, slightly, though they wanted to believe it would happen, “Well alright then. After we kill Handsome Jack, we’ll do it. We’ll go find my home planet. Take a little vacation from the… This.”  _

They shivered, recounting the memory. Slowly, they sat up to see that Axton had given them the bedroll they’d set up for him, and had fallen asleep sat-up, arms-crossed against the cave wall. Their discarded helmet lay next to the now dark fire-pit, and their glove by the mouth of the cave. 

They stood up, and silently as they could, took their helmet and wandered to the entrance of the cave to put it back on. As it repressurized, they couldn’t help but cringe - it always irritated them. They pulled on their glove and walked back over to Axton, still deeply asleep. They considered poking him awake, but his face was so… Peaceful. Angelic, even. 

The symbol above his eyebrow fascinated them, and they leaned in just a little closer to get a better look. His face was irritatingly handsome, in a way they didn’t find most humans. He had a sort of incurably serious resting face that pulled goofily into a smile after doing something stupid - his favorite goddamn pastime on a battlefield, it seemed, from Zer0’s usual vantage point on higher ground. He was almost allergic to doing things that weren’t ridiculously dangerous. Then, as he slept peacefully, his mouth was curled into a subtle, contented little smile. 

They smiled despite themselves, then straightened up and walked towards the firepit to attempt to make him something to eat. 

Zer0 did their best to ignore the sinking desire to go back and stare at him more, allowing themselves only to steal glances from the corner of their eye as they went about starting the fire, and carefully placing a can of soup near enough that it was heating and far enough that it wouldn’t burn. They hated being stared at, and they were certain Axton didn’t appreciate it either. 

“Ow,” Axton muttered as he stood up, “Oh god my head. What time is it?” 

“It’s quarter-to-ten. We probably drank too much. Do you feel okay?” 

“Hungover,” He rasped, as he stood up, leaning against the wall. “Fuck… Do you have water?” 

Zer0 moved the can of soup away from the heat and left it on the ground, for a moment, before scrounging up their cantine out of their bag and tossing it Axton’s way. It fell with a dull  _ thud  _ at Axton’s feet, who picked it up and drank gratefully. 

“I made you breakfast,” They said, “Though it is nothing fancy. Just a can of soup.” 

Axton smiled at them as he trudged over beside the fire and sat down, gratefully drinking the soup up without a spoon or complaint. “How long do you feel like staying out here?” He asked, as Zer0 took a seat beside him. 

They shrugged. They weren’t really thinking, when they took him out here. Just that this would be a nice place to think. 

“You good on money?” 

“I spend less than you.” 

“Maliwan’s and Jakobs’ aren’t cheap,” Axton said with a smile, shouldering Zer0 fondly.

“Do you want me to come with? It would be your job.” 

“I don’t have one yet,” He said, “But yes, coming with would be good. Keep me company and cover my ass.” 

“I will cover you, but I’m not great company. I’m sure you know this.” 

“Yeah, not great company,” He said, “That’s why I got drunk with you in a cave last night. Of course.” 

They hesitated asking the obvious. “Do you remember?” 

“Last night?” 

They nodded. 

Axton shrugged, casual as anything -  _ Of course he is. He always is.  _ \- and said, “Bits and pieces. Not clearly, at least. I’m pretty sure I was half-asleep for some of that, most of it doesn’t make sense.” 

“Yeah, it’s blurry for me, too,” They said, only a half-truth.  _ So he doesn’t remember.  _ Their minds danced around why this upset them, and though Instinct easily supplied an answer, Rationality said to leave it be and so they did. “Well, I guess that’s fine.” 

“Yeah,” Axton concurred as he finished off the latter half of the soup in a single gulp. “Anyways, wanna head out? See what the bounty board has for us?” 

Zer0 stood up, checked their shields, and stretched. They wandered out towards the mouth of the cave and the runner, Axton in tow behind them, muttering about his sabre turret and his back. 

“Don’t sleep sitting up,” They chided, “And your back won’t ache like that. The bedroll was yours.” 

“You passed out,” Axton said, as they got into the driver's seat, “Oh hell no. Gunner, you. You may not have been atrocious last night but I don’t trust your hungover driving.” 

“I’m not hungover.” 

“Liar,” He said adamantly, hands on his hips beside the seat, “You’re not a great driver, sober or not.” 

Zer0 projected a frowny face, and begrudgingly got back into the back seat. 

“Thank you,” Axton said. 

“You’re such an asshole, Axton.”

“No, I just feel like the world’s spinning around me and I don’t need you to make it worse.” Axton didn’t sound angry, surprisingly. There was something distinctly fond in his ribbing, Zer0 thought, though they were certain it was a delusion until he turned around, standing in the driver’s seat, to knock the side of his fist lightly onto their knee. “Plus, you’re a great shot.”

“I can’t disagree.” 

“Damn right you can’t,” He said with a laugh, before he started the outrunner. “Guide me outta here, I don’t have the first clue where we are.” 

* * *

The mission was uneventful and, had it been just Zer0, boring. Ellie sent them off to turn the Hodunks and the Zaffords against one another and Axton took the job gratefully. Zer0 had something of a soft spot for Ellie - though, they were starting to notice with increasing discomfort that they seemed to be developing soft spots for  _ everyone  _ they met on this godforsaken rock - with her accent and upbeat attitude. She was strong-willed and tough, her survival out in the Dust proved that much, and somehow, despite all of Pandora’s attempts to beat her into submission, still maintained that warm-heart-open-arms attitude. 

Zer0 really respected that. 

But even she wasn’t exempt from that hateful streak, though this time somewhat understandable. Zer0 had just finished burning the Hodunks' homes, and sat perched atop one of the many strange rock structures in the Dust, polishing their rifle. 

They heard panting and footsteps, from the other end of the Echo. “Sorry man, just… Dipping out of there before they saw me. This… Really is kinda despicable, isn’t it?”

“But can we complain? We aren’t quite above it. Plus, they deserve it.” 

“I can’t disagree with you there,” Axton said with a merry laugh, “Alright, see you in The Dust, buddy, their final showdown’s gonna start. Who’re we siding with?” 

“I’m with the Zafford’s. I like Mick, and the Hodunks… You know. With Ellie.” 

“Right,” Axton said slightly sternly, “Unforgivable, honestly. Alright, I’ll see you in a minute.” 

* * *

The final showdown was easy, the two of them slipping in on Mick’s side of the Battlefield, Zer0 on top of the building, stomach to the ground, just picking off grunts as they showed up, and Axton, laughing behind his turret. 

The Zafford’s let them back in for drinks, and  _ did they drink.  _ Zer0 staggered out with Axton, a few extra bottles stashed away for when they got back to their little camp. Zer0 slurred, “Do you want me to drive?” 

“Six syllables,” Axton said through a fit of hiccups, “That’s not a haiku.” 

“Shut up,” They said smacking his chest weakly. Axton stumbled backward, and Zer0 caught him, wrapping him up under their arm and letting him lean his weight on them. “There. Don’t fall.”

“Thanks,” Axton said, one arm dropping down around their waist, the other hand coming to rest on their chest, patting it a couple times, “Can always count on you.” 

Zer0 hummed in agreement as they stumbled back to the outrunner. “It's not even eight and we’re fucked already.” 

“Good!” Axton said with a hearty laugh, “More time to get even drunker.” 

“We’ll die of alcohol poisoning.” 

“And what a way to go.” 

Zer0 tripped on a rock and nearly brought Axton down with them, instead falling forward and accidentally pinning him to the side of the outrunner, arms on either side of Axton’s shoulders. 

“Woah! Nice to meet’cha,” Axton said with a wink and a little giggle, “If I knew you were gonna come onto me I’d have worn something nicer.” 

_ How can he keep doing this shit? _

Zer0 pushed themselves off of him, and dusted themselves off awkwardly. “Sorry.” 

“No, no, don’t be,” He said, patting Zer0’s back.  _ Since when was Axton so touchy? Since when was Axton so touchy with me?  _

Zer0 vaulted over and into the driver’s seat inelegantly and tried their best to ignore the weird feeling that had settled in their bones since the night before. They took Axton back to their hideout. 

* * *

It was a miracle that they’d managed to pitch a fire and both of their bedrolls. Axton sat somewhat uselessly to the side, watching them, rambling about nothing. The two of them drank more. Axton got closer and closer to them as they worked their way through the bottle of gift-whiskey, and at some point they realized that their helmet and gloves were gone, the top third of their jumpsuit totally unzipped. 

They didn’t know how or why, but despite the thorough chill in the air, they felt like they were burning.

Axton sat by the fire, leaned back on his forearms, basking in its warmth, head lolling to one side, then the other, in a sleepy daze. Zer0 watched with fascination, and though they still felt sharp, they knew they were probably just going to shut down if they stayed up much longer. 

“Axton?” 

He rolled his head around, cracking it as he did, until it was tilted towards Zer0, then sleepily looked their way. The shadows of the fire danced on his face, the reflection twinkling in his eyes, an exhausted smile on his lips. Zer0’s heart -  _ Hearts,  _ they corrected themselves,  _ Doctor Tannis said you have two hearts. -  _ stopped, then started hammering anew, beating wholly out of sync. “Yes?” 

“You tired?” 

“Dead on my feet, yeah.” 

“Wanna go to bed, then?” 

“Not in the slightest,” He said, “‘S nice just to sit with you. Plus, I was cold as hell last night.” 

They were out of their mind. _Nice just to sit with you._ Fuck, that didn't even really mean anything and their mind had caught onto it. “You didn’t even use the bedroll.” 

“Was I supposed to just get in with you?” 

They didn’t say anything to that. They wanted to say yes, but they couldn’t croak the word out - they lacked the boldness and the necessary cavalier nature to. 

_ What's gotten into me?  _ They'd always been fond of Axton but somewhere along the line that fondness turned to  _ this  _ and the night before had only worsened it from an ignorable-if-annoying background hum to all they could fucking think about. 

“Mmm… I’ll take that as a no.” 

“Well I think I might sleep,” Zer0 said, standing up slowly, “If you’re cold just wake me up. I’ll remake the fire, figure something out.” 

"Sounds good," Axton said, "Sweet dreams."

"You too," Zer0 said, as they crawled into their bedroll and ignored the fact that the picture of Axton's face in that moment was forever burned into the backside of their eyelids. 

* * *

Zer0 awoke, half-sober, to being gently prodded. They opened a set of eyes to glare at whoever had the cruel sense to wake them, only to be faced with Axton. 

"I'm cold," He said softly. "Help me start the fire?"

_ Right.  _ They offered that to him. Zer0 ran hot, they knew, and the desert nights were always brutal. 

They sat up slightly, and as the blanket fell around them they realized exactly how chilly it was.  _ Fuck.  _ Getting up seemed like the worst thing in the world. 

They weren't drunk but surely weren't thinking right, as they lifted up one arm and patted the small space next to them in their not-especially-narrow bedroll. These things could fit  _ Krieg  _ comfortably, surely the two of them could?

"Huh?" Axton asked.

"Inside. Too cold to get up." They patted the spot beside them again for emphasis. 

“Zer0, you’re still drunk-”

“Like you’re not. C’mon,” They said, and layed back down. 

_ What the fuck are you doing, what the fuck are you doing- _

Axton hesitated, and the loud chanting in their mind turned outright to incoherent shouting. He got in next to them, finally, and nearly tried to shove himself against the seam. 

“Shit, how come yours is warmer than mine?” 

“Got two hearts,” Zer0 said offhandedly. “Keeps me way warmer than I wish I was.” 

“What?” 

“Uhh… Like, one here,” They said, awkwardly trying to maneuver their hands without touching Axton to the right side of their chest, again startled by the feeling of the skin of their hands against the armored exoskeletal plates on their chest. “And another, uhh… There I think?” They said, holding their other hand against the left side of their abdomen. 

“I can’t see where either of those things are.” 

“Right.” 

“Describe it?” He said, as he turned to face Zer0, the discomfort of the situation melting away. 

Their hands acted of their own accord, against Zer0’s more rational desires. They grabbed one of Axton’s wrists and tucked it under the fabric of their unzipped jumpsuit, to the place where their upper heart was, “There’s one,” They mumbled. They were certain that he could feel the strange triplet-pattern their heart beat in. 

Axton made a slightly confused sound.

They took his other hand and moved it over their second heart, and watched as Axton’s eyes went wide in the dark. They realized that perhaps he couldn’t see the details of their face, the constant twitching as they tried to stop whatever the hell was happening. When they marshalled themselves a bit more, they managed to release his wrists. 

To Zer0’s surprise, Axton’s hands stayed where they put them. 

“Holy shit,” He whispered, “No wonder you’re so warm under that suit. Your hearts are… Quick. Is this normal?”

_ Yes,  _ they tried to lie. “No,” they said instead. 

“What’s happening?” He sounded so… Innocently concerned. 

_ Nothing.  _ “You’re too close.”  _ Fuck.  _

“Do you want me to-”

“You’re cold, aren’t you?” They said, and they finally managed to get their loose lips to cooperate for a fucking second, “I don’t usually do this stuff. I offered.” 

“You… Did do that. Yeah.” 

“Don’t worry about me. I don’t want you to get sick or something.”  _ What kind of fucking excuse is that? _

His hands were still on their chest. Their hearts beat increasingly out of sync, they felt like they’d been running for days on end. 

“You really are… Uh. Nervous seeming?” 

They nodded. Axton settled more comfortably into the sleeping bag, seemingly comforted by this fact. Zer0 tried their best to relax. This was normal enough. 

“Jesus, you’re warm,” Axton muttered to himself, “If I knew this I’d have bothered you way more often.” 

“I normally don’t sleep this much,” They said, “I don’t really need more than a few hours every once in awhile. Unless it’s to, you know… Sleep off a drink.” 

As they shifted around to face him better, they could still smell the alcohol on his breath. Axton’s hands stayed under their jumpsuit, and one wandered away from the hard plate of exoskeleton to the smooth skin of their sides. “Oh.” 

“Only armoured where necessary,” They said. 

“What color is it? I can’t see much more than the uh… Glowy bits.” 

They almost forgot about the subtle bioluminescence they had. “Mostly blue. Some purple.” 

Axton got closer, squinting, noticing the lines on their face that trailed down their chest and further across their body in branching patterns. They were breathing the same air, by that point, as Axton studied them with the same careful scrutiny he did everything. He liked his details, they supposed. “What are they?” 

“I don’t really know? I think veins.” 

Axton looked back up, and realized they were nearly nose-to-nose. Eight of their eyes staring down his two, desperately trying to pick apart what that expression of his meant - lips a little parted, pupils blown wide, the corners of his mouth ticking up into an incredulous little smile. 

Zer0 flexed their hands at their side.  _ Do not move an inch,  _ they told themselves,  _ not an inch.  _

“I’m invading your space a… A lot, aren’t I?” Axton said, beginning to retract his hands. 

“I don’t mind.” Their voice was thin and strained. 

Axton paused for a long time, contemplating something. Zer0 wondered if they should push him away and walk out. “Can I get closer?” 

_ Say no.  _ “If you want.” 

He settled in, somehow even closer without doing… Something. Zer0 didn’t know what they wanted him to do, were  _ desperate  _ for him to do, but this getting-closer wasn’t helping. They knew full well that this wasn’t going to help, Rationality whispered, and if this was a battle of wills, Instinct was winning. They wanted whatever the something Axton wasn’t doing was. 

“Your face is…” Axton said, trailing off. 

“Happens sometimes,” They said, “When I can’t decide on what to do. It’s like… An argument with myself. Never learned how to control it.” 

“What’s the argument over?” 

“I’m honestly not sure.” 

Axton smiled. “I don’t know what I want either, if that makes you feel better.” 

“Penny for your thoughts?” 

He wrapped his arms around their waist, still beneath the jumpsuit - tight fit as it was. The feeling of skin touching skin was entirely foreign. They short-circuited. “Trying to figure out how I’d kiss someone who doesn’t really have lips.” 

_ Oh.  _

That’s it. That’s what they wanted. “I’m trying to figure out how to kiss someone at all.” 

Axton laughed at them. “Never tried?” 

Something told them to get their hands away from their sides. One of them slid under Axton’s neck, holding it up, earning them what sounded like a grumbled  _ thanks.  _ Unsure of what to do after that, they mirrored Axton, laying their long arm around his thin waist and holding him with a featherlight touch. 

“This is my first time…” They contemplated coming clean about last night, but what he didn’t remember wouldn’t hurt him, “Ever, touching someone without my gloves in a non-murder context- No, even in a murder context. What do you think?” They felt like they were going to burn alive from the inside out. 

Axton rubbed small, comforting circles into their more sparsely-armored back, occasionally feeling the spikey ridges of their spine. They marvelled by how well they slotted together, despite the size and shape difference. 

“No time like the present,” Axton offered, “If you’re willing.” 

“I don’t know what to do,” They said weakly, a feeble final attempt to regain some control, to steel themselves and smother whatever feeling made them like this, all of a sudden. To be rid of the softness that was causing all their problems, recently.

“Neither do I.” 

Axton was offering his hand in the dark, they realized with a warm pang and a low-feeling respect. He wouldn’t remember this, they knew, and it was probably all fueled by strange xenophilic curiosity, but that was enough to let them have this thing they craved. They didn’t know if it would help, but they wanted whatever was going to happen so bad it hurt. 

One of his hands travelled up their side, the gentlest touch they remembered experiencing in their life, like they were something delicate and expensive. The twitching worsened and worsened. It sent a shiver up their spine. His hand finally came to rest on the side of their face, and his thumb stroked their cheek, forbearing as anything they’d ever seen. He was smiling at them. 

The twitching stopped. They made up their mind. 

“Okay,” They said softly, and tightened their grip on him, just so. 

“You sure?” Axton said. They could smell the remnants of alcohol on his breath. His consideration despite his inebriation was so… Characteristically Axton. 

“Yeah.” 

Axton closed his eyes and crossed the miniscule distance between them, and gently,  _ painfully  _ gently, pressed his lips to theirs. They mirrored him best they could, tilting their head a little bit so their much flatter nose might void his, and closing their eyes. They didn’t know  _ why  _ they did this, but it felt right. 

It only lasted a few seconds, really. Chaste and soft and awkward and objectively  _ bad,  _ but it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t nearly enough. There was something so pleasant about it - the slight pressure, the closeness, the way Axton seemed to press himself into Zer0 to keep them impossibly closer, the way that Axton moved his lips against theirs that they only copied properly at the last second. The burning sensation got worse and they reveled in it. 

Axton pulled away and they were made helpless. Left empty and wanting. Their whole body tingled where Axton’s touched them. 

“Not so bad, right?” They didn’t know why, but Axton’s voice had taken on a gentle, low tone, something they’d never heard from him. They wanted to live in whatever it was.

“Right,” They whispered.

“Want to try again? I think I caught you a little off-guard,” He asked, thumb swiping soothingly across their face. 

_ Yes,  _ they thought. But the word wouldn’t come out, caught in their throat, their tongue leaden and lips sealed shut. They couldn’t even find it in themselves to nod. 

Axton smiled with a little disappointment in his eyes. “Alright, that’s fine. Slow or fast, doesn’t matter. I just wanna get where we’re going.” 

_ Huh?  _

“Can I stay like this?” He asked, settling in slightly. “Or should I give you some space?” 

Zer0 had regained their voice, but the moment passed. Axton had already closed his eyes. “Stay, you’re cold.” 

“That’s true,” He muttered to himself. “Thanks Zee. Sleep well.” 

“You too,” Zer0 said softly, and stared at his sleeping form in their arms for what felt like hours, before drifting off into an uneasy sleep. 

* * *

Axton awoke to the ghost of warmth, the vague understanding that strong arms were wrapped around him, that he had jumped some precipice. 

Then last night came back to him in bits and pieces. 

_ They sat with him by the fire, all upright posture and crossed legs. They looked beautiful, with that golden light dancing off of their subtly-reflective skin. Their eyes looked mystical, almost, by the fire. Axton couldn’t help but smile lazily. They were gorgeous, alien or not. _

The image of that was bad enough, but then he remembered the phantom of their not-quite-lips against his. 

_ Zer0 froze, first, when he kissed them, before they melted, balling their firsts in his shirt. He took that as his invitation to pull them against him - fuck, he was so warm, he was so fucking warm and inviting and if they decided they were gonna abandon the raiders and lay in this cave for a couple years, he wouldn’t be able to say no, he didn’t have it in him.  _

_ It was clumsy and awkward and it took them a couple tries before they realized what they were supposed to be doing and he loved every second of it. _

_ And then the kiss was over.  _

_ Zer0 didn’t say yes when he asked again and he didn’t know what he was expecting. They were a person with stiff and strict boundaries. One kiss would have to hold him over to the next. _

_ “Slow or fast,” Axton said, though internally he prayed Zer0 was going to err on the side of fast, “Doesn’t matter. I just wanna get where we’re going. _ ”  _ He wasn’t sure where that was, but he was willing to wait. He was willing to be patient for whatever the feeling was.  _

_ Zer0 looked shocked, and though he was certain they’d have pushed him away by then, didn’t. When he asked if he should go, they told him not to - though their voice belied something he couldn’t figure out.  _

He kept his eyes closed, a little longer - his hangover was certainly worse than it was the night before - and heard the low murmur of Zer0’s voice. 

“Yes, Maya, we’re fine. And the Hodunks thing was us. We’re not in trouble.” 

“Well, did anything happen?” Axton strained to hear Maya’s voice from the low volume of the ECHO call. He peered at Zer0 out of the corner of his eye - suit donned again. “You two got drunk in a cave, that seems like a recipe for stuff happening.” 

Zer0 laughed at her, a genuine laugh. “No, nothing happened. Axton and I are good friends. We just drank and talked.” 

“You sure?” 

“I’m totally sure. I won’t take my helmet off. More requires that.”

_ They… Don’t remember? How could they not remember? I literally couldn’t forget that if I tried.  _

_ Well… They didn’t remember the night before. Fuck, we drank so much.  _

“Well Tannis-” 

“Is my damn Doctor.” 

“That’s a good point,” She said with what sounded like a sigh. “Whatever. Just come home soon.” 

“We’ll have to talk about it. Odd jobs are quite fun.” 

“Jack needs stopping, assholes. Get back.” 

Zer0 sighed. “Alright, alright,  _ mom.  _ We’ll try to get back tonight. In one piece and all.” 

“Good. See you.” 

Zer0 grunted, and the call ended. Axton lay there, pretending to be asleep for another minute or two, before sitting up and cracking his back. An imperceptible exhaustion that had always plagued him was suddenly gone, and he realized that was the best sleep he had in a long time. Years, maybe. 

“Good morning, Axton.” 

“Yeah, mornin’ Zee.” 

They handed him the cantine without him asking, and leaned against the cave wall. The other bedroll was already packed up. “How are you feeling, today? Did you sleep alright?” 

Before he could stop himself, he mumbled, “Best sleep I had in a long time.” 

They were silent for a moment, before they carried on picking things up and putting them in their backpack. “Good. I slept well, too.” 

“D’you remember last night at all?” 

“Why do you ask that? You don’t?” 

“More or less don’t know what the hell happened, frankly,” He said. It was childish to test them, but he didn’t know what they knew, and the horror of facing a sober Zer0 realizing what he knew… Well, somehow the idea of him getting rejected in spite of it hurt more than the thought of getting run through.

“That makes two of us.” 

_ Oh god.  _ That hurt nearly as bad as knowing they didn’t remember his little promise - not that he didn’t have any intention not to look - and now, though his hopes weren’t high, he was somehow impossibly more upset that they didn’t know. Fuck, and was that an admission of something? They woke up first, they had to have noticed… 

He put two and two together -  _ They’re uncomfortable, asshole.  _ Why else wouldn’t they bring it up?

“Guess we just passed out after the Zaffords and all?” He supplied their story, a silent offering to forget about waking up together. He. One he hoped they would reject. There was a beat of silence as Axton pulled his jacket back on. 

“Absolutely, man. They gave us whiskey as thanks. I have the bottles,” They said, as they pulled their backpack on. 

“Oh… Good,” Axton didn’t know if he masked the disappointment in his voice, “We’ll share with everyone once we’re home.” 

“Perhaps… Not tonight. I don’t think I can drink, now. Not for a few days.” 

Axton’s headache worsened as he looked out at the sunny morning. “Yeah. Seconded. We’ll tell them in a few days?”

Zer0 hummed their agreement, and Axton started towards the runner, lightly knocking the side of his fist into their shoulder, and letting it sit there for a minute. A slightly uncomfortable silence stretched in the air, Axton staring at where his hand touched Zer0’s shoulder, knowing full well what was beneath it. 

Knowing full well what would probably take a long time to get there again. 

“Let’s go back. I’ll drive.” 

_ That kiss is gonna have to be enough. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, buckle the fuck up. I have a very long thing in the making. This _started_ as just another part of this and I was gonna leave it at that, but now this is the background for a slow-burn fic set after BL3 (yeah I know) with like.... An intertwining (but separate) Mordecai/Brick fic. 
> 
> I’m hoping everyone’s willing to stick around for that, because it honestly might take a hot second. The amount of Things that have happened between when I posted the first chapter and now is ASTOUNDING. I got dumped, I started college, my cat died, I turned 18, and now I’ve got a dog. 
> 
> Now, for the questions - I have never attempted to post anything smutty, so for the upcoming thing, would anyone want that to be included? Or like, there but separated from the main work? I can’t guarantee quality since I’m asexual but ‘ey. I want to try. Also, how many of you are Brick/Mordecai shippers? It seems to be a ship the whole fandom is amicable to, but I don’t see NEARLY as much content for it.
> 
> Here’s my [tumblr,](https://parttwoactuallywrites.tumblr.com/) for those who want to say hello (and I do appreciate it!), and the lovely Jordan’s [tumblr](https://tannithvibes.tumblr.com/) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmotionalSupportPuma) one more time (and the [pokemon ask blog ](https://ask-neontiger.tumblr.com/)you should absolutely check out, I wasn’t kidding. It’s great and also might super rip your heart out.). I’m so sorry this was a long note. Alright, I love you all, stay safe!!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys! I hope you enjoyed PTSD And Alcoholism. I wrote the experiences of PTSD based off of my own experience with, admittedly, not _military_ PTSD but I hope it still rings true for other people. 
> 
> I leave you with the question: Would you like more? I doubt future chapters would be this long, but I’d be willing to write it all out. It might be a long one, though, so if you know my track record for my Other Long Ones, well... Yeah. It’ll get done but it’ll take Some Time. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all are doing well. Things have been Rough For Me, so I hope this brought you some relief from your day-to-day garbage. As always, concrit is welcome, here’s my [tumblr](https://parttwoactuallywrites.tumblr.com/), and now my [twitte](https://twitter.com/PartTwoTweets)r! Come talk to me, I find you all are rays of sunshine. I love you all, be safe and well!


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